2010-08-15
Explanation
This comic imagines what would happen if a Dog Language Translator existed, presented as an instant messaging conversation between a human (andrew310) and their dog (familiar1). The conversation starts normally enough -- the dog thanks the human for a paper (presumably a newspaper or academic paper, played for absurdity) -- but quickly devolves when the dog asks to hump the human's leg. When reminded they are not even in the same room, the dog announces it will go hump some pillows instead, then signs off with "mission accomplished" while the human desperately tries to get it to stop.
The caption reads "The worst thing about the Dog Language Translator was the texting," implying that giving dogs the ability to communicate via text would mainly reveal the embarrassing, instinct-driven nature of their thoughts. The humor lies in the contrast between how humans anthropomorphize their pets as dignified companions and the reality of what dogs would actually say if they could talk.
The votey panel shows one final exchange: the dog declaring "mission accomplished" and the human responding with a dismayed ":/" emoticon, confirming the dog did indeed go through with its pillow-related plans.